Students in Geralyn Schultz' Channels of Distributions and Selling classes at Lindenwood University have taken the nation's latest craze and turned it into an opportunity.

Their Opportunity wristbands go on sale Nov. 15. The students plan to raise $10,000 in five days--with the proceeds going toward a Lindenwood scholarship.

What started as a brainstorming session about what makes corporations, products and services turned into a real life charitable venture, said Schultz. One student, Robert Hall, asked about taking the trendy wristband idea and transferring it into a class project.

Schultz' two classes jumped on the idea, and with help from the university's retail merchandising club, the Lindenwood football team, Mercy Health Systems, the project evolved.

Bracelets will be sold from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. daily in the Spellmann Campus Center. More tables will be in other campus buildings. But the students aren't stopping there--demand for the bracelets is picking up off-campus as well.

Schultz said she was confident her students would succeed. She is confident too, that being involved in this project will make them even more attractive to potential employers.

"It makes a student and potential recruit even more valuable to be able to show and demonstrate how they were able to learn, apply, and create a real-life business situation and outcome," Schultz said. "With employers hiring fewer, candidates have to stand out even more."

Kendra Kallestad, a student of Schultz', said the classes were divided into teams with different areas of responsibility--graphic design for posters promotions, a treasury team, customer service, distribution, promotions, and inventory management. Each team is involved in sales and strategic planning.

"It's amazing how everyone is working together on this," Kallestad said.